Tara Moss: The Fictional Woman

Even if you're not a fan of crime novels in general (like myself), it is hard, in Australia especially, to have never heard of the legacy of the incredible Tara Moss. I stumbled upon her crime fiction when I was in high school, and while she didn't convert me to the genre, I was still impressed with her work (at a time when I half convinced that there was something masculine about writing, as I hadn't responded to a female storyteller since childhood).

Again and again she popped up, first quite regularly as a guest speaker for the Sydney Writer's Festival, and then as a whistle-blower with secret contacts relating to the events of Manus Island (of which you can read about, if you were living under a rock, here. I don't blame you if you were living under a rock at this time, it was a pretty depressing incident, and we all wanted to hide in shame...)

Mostly importantly, Tara Moss is simply a force of good in the world. She researches thoroughly, writes eloquently and earnestly, and as a result, the latest addition to her long list of published works, "Tara Moss: The Fictional Woman", is superb to say the least. I am not exaggerating in saying that it is eye-opening, let alone life-changing.

Part autobiography, part social commentary, "The Fictional Woman" is the culmination of Tara's experiences as a writer, model, mother, wife, and woman, which provide a rich and unique perspective. The combination of her own life story with statistics surrounding subjects such as gender roles makes an interesting, sometimes shameful read that is hard to put down.

We are guided ever so gently through the world of feminism (which, believe it or not, isn't so radical after all), which is really just a world where we take note that things are really not yet equal, and seek to better that. Society not only lets women and girls down, but men and boys too. We have so many irrational and fruitless stipulations surrounding gender roles, and Tara addresses these beautifully.

The book explores many themes, including visible women (the narrowly presented demographic of women between 18 and 30 in entertainment and advertising), the expectations of women as objects, particularly in a visual sense, the often lack of agency as a woman, and the contrariness of many pro-body-image campaigns. This barely brushes the tip of the iceberg though in terms of everything that is crammed with divine precision on the pages.

Tara Moss proves that looks and brains aren't mutually exclusive (and it really sucks that this is something that has to be proved... with a lie detector...) While the stone cold facts are presented with such polish, quite often it is interlaced with raw personal anecdotes. Charming, breath-taking and sometimes heart-breaking, this work attests not only to the strength, wisdom, and brilliant, consistent morality of this incredible woman, but also a wonderful written approach.

You would be hard-pressed to find a more modern, relevant, and accessible (without being subdued) book on the plight of women and gender roles. I was fortunate enough to meet Tara Moss at Sydney Uni a few weeks ago for the promotion of the book. It was a real honour to read it, just as it is to recommend it.